'U.S. News & World Report': Top Diets for 2012

Just in time for those New Year’s resolutions, U.S. News & World Report and a panel of 22 experts in diet, nutrition, obesity, heart health, and diabetes reviewed and ranked 25 popular diet plans for the second time. Last year, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet took home top honors as the best overall diet. This year, U.S. News considered five new diets in addition to the 20 they first reviewed last summer — the Abs Diet, the Biggest Loser Diet, the Dukan Diet, the Flat Belly Diet, and macrobiotic diets.

To update the rankings for the New Year, each expert scored the diets on their potential for short and long-term weight loss, nutritional completeness, safety, and potential for managing diabetes and heart disease. Then, the expert ratings were standardized to create this list of 2012’s top diets.

Read on to find out which plan took top honors overall, and which option might be the best for you in 2012.

Best Overall Diet: The DASH Diet

Same as last year, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet was named the best overall diet. The DASH Diet, which was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, is a balanced approach to eating that requires each dieter to calculate her calorie and nutrient needs, go easy on salt — and that’s it. The emphasis on fruits, vegetables and whole grains helps dieters lose weight and keep it off, which in turn, reduces risk for diabetes. Because the diet is designed to lower blood pressure, following the DASH eating plan is a sure step toward a heart-healthy diet. And although the DASH Diet is not specifically designed for weight loss, you can design a calorie deficit to help you slim down.

Easiest Diet Plan: Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers, famous for its simple-to-follow points system and seriously slimmer spokesperson, singer Jennifer Hudson, took the top spot in U.S. News’ newest category this year. Weight Watchers won points for its flexibility — no foods are off-limits on the plan, as long as you stay within your set individual point level. Numerous studies have found that this flexible approach works and that dieting with Weight Watchers can even help you drop more pounds than weight-loss treatment with a doctor. Hudson has lost 80 pounds with the program.

Best Diet for Weight Loss: Weight Watchers

A 2008 study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that 60 percent of dieters who used Weight Watchers were able to keep the weight off a year after completing the program. And more than 35 percent were able to maintain their weight loss for five years or more. This high success rate for both short- and long-term weight loss is why U.S. News deemed Weight Watchers the best plan to help you slim down. Research indicates that in addition to the simple points system, the Weight Watchers community of fellow dieters is also a huge part of its success: an analysis in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that dieters who attended weekly Weight Watchers meetings lost more weight and kept it off longer than those who did not.

Best Diabetes Diet: The Biggest Loser Diet

The Biggest Loser Diet, a low-calorie plan designed for fans of the hit TV show, is U.S. News’ top diabetes diet, thanks to its focus on whole grains, vegetables, and other foods that can help manage blood sugar levels. In an American Journal of Medicine study, researchers found that participants on the Biggest Loser plan reduced their A1C levels, a measure of blood sugar. Like contestants on the show, Biggest Loser Diet followers get a crash course in nutrition and exercise that matches the diabetes management and prevention recommendations set by the American Diabetes Association. To start the diet, simply pick up the plan’s guidebook, 6 Weeks to a Healthier You, and start learning from the successes of TV show contestants and designing your food and fitness plan. Unlike some other diets, the Biggest Loser Diet takes prepackaged foods out of the equation: If you choose to follow this diet, prepare to do all the cooking yourself.

Runners-up: the DASH Diet, the Mayo Clinic Diet, the Ornish Diet

Best Heart-Healthy Diet: The Ornish Diet

Developed by Dean Ornish, MD, the Ornish or Spectrum Diet is a super low-fat, mostly vegetarian plan designed to reverse heart disease and boost general well-being through meditation and other stress-reducing techniques. In 1990, Ornish and his team of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, Medical School became the first scientists to show that simple changes in diet and lifestyle can reverse heart disease. Today, high-profile heart patients such as former President Bill Clinton have adopted Ornish’s advice to keep their hearts healthy.

Runners-up: the TLC Diet, the DASH Diet, the Mediterranean diet

Best Healthy Eating Plan: The DASH Diet

The doctor-designed DASH Diet received five out of five stars from U.S. News for its nutritional value. Similar to the USDA’s new guidelines for healthy eating (as symbolized by the MyPlate icon introduced last year), the highly flexible plan is rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat or nonfat dairy products and limits red meat, fats, and sweets. Several studies back up DASH’s claim to lower blood pressure and cholesterol and improve overall health, including a 2004 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology, which found DASH to be an effective way to treat and prevent a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Best Commercial Diet: Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers narrowly edged out second-ranked Jenny Craig for the best commercial diet, thanks to its safe, nutritious, and easy-to-follow plan. Jenny Craig also earned good ratings for being easy to follow and resulting in short- and long-term weight loss. However, experts found Jenny Craig to be pricey, overly reliant on packaged meals, and challenging to follow when eating out in restaurants.

Diets to Skip in 2012

Two of 2011’s hottest diet trends, the Paleo and Dukan diets, ranked in the bottom five across every single category in U.S. News’ rankings.

They earned low rankings partly because the diets are too new to have undergone extensive scientific testing and partly due to the strict rules and phases that are part of each plan. The Paleo Diet, also known as the Caveman Diet, forbids all grains and dairy, while the Dukan Diet requires followers to stick to four distinct phases of dieting with different levels of protein and carbohydrate consumption.

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